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Sample routes · Illinois

Route 66: 14 days from Chicago to Santa Monica

Chicago → Santa Monica · 14 Days

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The Mother Road end to end: from the start of Route 66 in Chicago through Illinois and Lincoln's Springfield, across the Chain of Rocks Bridge to St. Louis, to Meramec Caverns in Missouri and the Blue Whale in Oklahoma. On via Amarillo with Cadillac Ranch and Palo Duro Canyon, through New Mexico with Albuquerque's Old Town and the petroglyphs, in Arizona to the Petrified Forest, Winslow, Meteor Crater and a detour to the Grand Canyon – then via Kingman and Oatman to the pier in Santa Monica.

About 4,000 kilometres through eight states. Much of the old road survives; where it does not, the route follows the interstate. May, June and September are ideal.

A sample route to look at. If you copy it, your own copy lands in your plans – there you can change days, stops and order.

Stops
24
Driving
3876 km
Drive time
47 h 8 min
Sunrises
0
Sunsets
0
Car Golden hour as a tip Balanced

Numbered stops in order · golden-hour tip shown separately.

Tip: golden hour around 20:40 at Santa Monica Pier (day 14)

1 Day 1

06:32 21:04 2 h 46 min on the road
  1. 06:32
    Sunrise
  2. 09:00
    Art Institute of Chicago
    Daylight
    Time at stop 2 h
  3. 11:00
    Car · 0 km · 1 min
  4. 11:01
    Cloud Gate
    Daylight
    Time at stop 45 min
  5. 21:04
    Sunset
1 campgrounds near the day’s end
  • West Beach Picnic Shelters 45 km · National Park Service · 8 sites Recreation.gov

2 Day 2

06:41 21:07 328 km · 4 h 3 min 6 h 48 min on the road
  1. 06:41
    Sunrise
  2. 06:57
    Car · 159 km · 2 h 3 min
  3. 09:00
    Route 66 Hall of Fame Museum (Pontiac)
    Daylight
    Time at stop 2 h
  4. 11:00
    Car · 169 km · 2 h
  5. 13:00
    Lincoln Home National Historic Site

    The preserved home where Abraham Lincoln once lived in Springfield, Illinois.

    Daylight
    Time at stop 45 min
  6. 21:07
    Sunset

3 Day 3

06:48 21:08 176 km · 2 h 11 min 3 h 41 min on the road
  1. 06:48
    Sunrise
  2. 07:12
    Car · 149 km · 1 h 48 min
  3. 09:00
    Chain of Rocks Bridge
    Daylight
    Time at stop 45 min
  4. 09:45
    Car · 27 km · 23 min
  5. 10:08
    Gateway Arch

    This national park in St. Louis is home to the Gateway Arch on the banks of the Mississippi River.

    Daylight
    Time at stop 45 min
  6. 21:08
    Sunset

4 Day 4

06:52 21:11 106 km · 1 h 23 min 4 h 23 min on the road
  1. 06:52
    Sunrise
  2. 07:37
    Car · 106 km · 1 h 23 min
  3. 09:00
    Meramec Caverns
    Daylight
    Time at stop 3 h
  4. 21:11
    Sunset
1 campgrounds near the day’s end
  • Red Bluff Campground 48 km · USDA Forest Service · 85 sites · RVs up to 45 ft (13,7 m) Recreation.gov

5 Day 5

07:15 21:26 516 km · 5 h 48 min 6 h 33 min on the road
  1. 03:12
    Car · 516 km · 5 h 48 min
  2. 07:15
    Sunrise
  3. 09:00
    Blue Whale of Catoosa
    Daylight
    Time at stop 45 min
  4. 21:26
    Sunset
3 campgrounds near the day’s end
  • Hawthorn Bluff 27 km · US Army Corps of Engineers · 95 sites · RVs up to 73 ft (22,3 m) Recreation.gov
  • Blue Creek 31 km · US Army Corps of Engineers · 51 sites · RVs up to 63 ft (19,2 m) Recreation.gov
  • Afton Landing 34 km · US Army Corps of Engineers · 23 sites · RVs up to 55 ft (16,8 m) Recreation.gov

6 Day 6

06:26 20:35 334 km · 3 h 45 min 6 h 30 min on the road
  1. 06:26
    Sunrise
  2. 06:49
    Car · 194 km · 2 h 11 min
  3. 09:00
    Oklahoma City National Memorial

    Foto: User:Dual Freq, CC BY 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)

    Daylight
    Time at stop 45 min
  4. 09:45
    Car · 140 km · 1 h 34 min
  5. 11:19
    Oklahoma Route 66 Museum
    Daylight
    Time at stop 2 h
  6. 20:35
    Sunset

7 Day 7

06:41 20:49 346 km · 3 h 58 min 7 h 43 min on the road
  1. 05:51
    Car · 291 km · 3 h 9 min
  2. 06:41
    Sunrise
  3. 09:00
    Cadillac Ranch
    Daylight
    Time at stop 45 min
  4. 09:45
    Car · 55 km · 49 min
  5. 10:34
    Palo Duro Canyon

    Foto: Kimberly Vardeman from Lubbock, TX, USA, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

    Steep cliffs in vivid shades of red and orange run through this expansive canyon system in Texas.

    Daylight
    Time at stop 3 h
  6. 20:49
    Sunset

8 Day 8

06:55 21:05 511 km · 5 h 48 min 8 h 3 min on the road
  1. 05:22
    Car · 318 km · 3 h 38 min
  2. 06:55
    Sunrise
  3. 09:00
    Blue Hole (Santa Rosa)
    Daylight
    Time at stop 45 min
  4. 09:45
    Car · 193 km · 2 h 10 min
  5. 11:55
    Old Town Albuquerque
    Daylight
    Time at stop 1 h 30 min
  6. 21:05
    Sunset
3 campgrounds near the day’s end
  • Nine Mile Picnic Site 26 km · USDA Forest Service · 1 sites Recreation.gov
  • Capulin Spring Picnic Site 27 km · USDA Forest Service · 1 sites Recreation.gov
  • Balsam Glade Picnic Site 27 km · USDA Forest Service · 1 sites Recreation.gov

9 Day 9

06:59 21:10 17 km · 41 min 1 h 26 min on the road
  1. 06:59
    Sunrise
  2. 08:19
    Car · 17 km · 41 min
  3. 09:00
    Petroglyph National Monument

    Foto: Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)

    Volcanic rock near Albuquerque bears thousands of ancient Native American petroglyphs, protected as a national monument since 1990.

    Daylight
    Time at stop 45 min
  4. 21:10
    Sunset
3 campgrounds near the day’s end
  • Nine Mile Picnic Site 32 km · USDA Forest Service · 1 sites Recreation.gov
  • Capulin Spring Picnic Site 33 km · USDA Forest Service · 1 sites Recreation.gov
  • Balsam Glade Picnic Site 33 km · USDA Forest Service · 1 sites Recreation.gov

10 Day 10

07:13 21:25 441 km · 5 h 14 min 8 h 59 min on the road
  1. 04:54
    Car · 343 km · 4 h 6 min
  2. 07:13
    Sunrise
  3. 09:00
    Petrified Forest National Park

    Fossilized logs from ancient forests lie scattered across colorful badlands in this park established in 1962.

    Daylight
    Time at stop 3 h
  4. 12:00
    Car · 98 km · 1 h 8 min
  5. 13:08
    Standin' on the Corner Park
    Daylight
    Time at stop 45 min
  6. 21:25
    Sunset

11 Day 11

07:16 21:32 252 km · 3 h 18 min 7 h 3 min on the road
  1. 07:16
    Sunrise
  2. 08:22
    Car · 42 km · 38 min
  3. 09:00
    Barringer-Krater
    Daylight
    Time at stop 45 min
  4. 09:45
    Car · 210 km · 2 h 40 min
  5. 12:25
    Grand Canyon Village
    Daylight
    Time at stop 3 h
  6. 21:32
    Sunset
3 campgrounds near the day’s end
  • Mather Campground 2 km · National Park Service · 357 sites · RVs up to 30 ft (9,1 m) Recreation.gov
  • Trailer Village RV Park - South Rim 2 km · National Park Service Recreation.gov
  • Tusayan - Montane 13 km · USDA Forest Service · 167 sites · RVs up to 50 ft (15,2 m) Recreation.gov

12 Day 12

06:26 20:41 301 km · 3 h 48 min 6 h 3 min on the road
  1. 05:47
    Car · 260 km · 3 h 13 min
  2. 06:26
    Sunrise
  3. 09:00
    Hackberry General Store
    Daylight
    Time at stop 45 min
  4. 09:45
    Car · 41 km · 35 min
  5. 10:20
    Kingman
    Daylight
    Time at stop 1 h 30 min
  6. 20:41
    Sunset
3 campgrounds near the day’s end
  • Wild Cow Springs Campground 22 km · Bureau of Land Management Recreation.gov
  • Wild Cow Springs Campground 22 km · Bureau of Land Management Recreation.gov
  • Windy Point Campground 28 km · Bureau of Land Management Recreation.gov

13 Day 13

06:33 20:48 316 km · 4 h 23 min 7 h 23 min on the road
  1. 06:33
    Sunrise
  2. 08:01
    Car · 51 km · 59 min
  3. 09:00
    Oatman
    Daylight
    Time at stop 1 h 30 min
  4. 10:30
    Car · 265 km · 3 h 24 min
  5. 13:54
    Calico
    Daylight
    Time at stop 1 h 30 min
  6. 20:48
    Sunset
2 campgrounds near the day’s end
  • Rainbow Basin/Owl Canyon Campground 17 km · Bureau of Land Management Recreation.gov
  • Sawtooth Canyon Campground 33 km · Bureau of Land Management Recreation.gov

14 Day 14

06:46 20:58 230 km · 2 h 48 min 4 h 18 min on the road
  1. 06:12
    Car · 230 km · 2 h 48 min
  2. 06:46
    Sunrise
  3. 09:00
    Santa Monica Pier
    Daylight
    Time at stop 1 h 30 min
  4. 20:58
    Sunset
2 campgrounds near the day’s end
  • Circle X Ranch Group Campground 42 km · National Park Service · 1 sites Recreation.gov
  • Lightning Point Group Campground 50 km · USDA Forest Service · 6 sites · RVs up to 40 ft (12,2 m) Recreation.gov

Campgrounds: recreation.gov (RIDB) · Parks Canada, contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada

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